Luis Anselmi//

Legend lived life of non-violence

Tributes from all over the world have been paid to the late Muhammad Ali, the âgreatestâ legend of the western world. What made Ali such a special individual? It was his faith in Allah and the philosophy of Islam to which he subscribed that he stamped his name Muhammad Ali; a name which he took from the renowned translator of the Holy Qurâan, Maulaana Muhammad Ali, of the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman, whose translation and commentaries influenced his life and the members of the Nation of Islam founded by Elijah Muhammad. The pure Islam, the religion of peace to which he subscribed, rejected the notion of the jihad of violence that is evident today in the Muslim world.

It is this strong belief in non-violence, promoted in Islam only by the Ahmadiyya Movement and for which it has been ostracised, that made him refuse to be drafted into the military as he stood in principle to defy the mighty America. Today, America and the world stand in admiration of the principles which he espoused. He practised Islam in its purity, with humility, cha­rity, love and goodwill to all people. His funeral service reflected his philosophy that Islam is a religion of peace, free from violence. It recognises that all forms of religion emanate from the same creator, and teaches us that âmankind is a single nationâ (Qurâan 2:213). âQaloo inna lillahi wa inna illihi raajeeonâ âSay, surely we are Allahâs and to Him is our eventual return.â